


All I Need

by joannacamilley



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: 19th Century, Blood Drinking, Bodyswap, Break Up, Cowgirl Position, Cunnilingus, F/M, Missionary Position, Oral Sex, Sex, Submission, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-10
Updated: 2014-12-11
Packaged: 2018-02-24 20:30:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2595440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joannacamilley/pseuds/joannacamilley
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Transported back to 1864 with no knowledge of how or why, Elena must try to portray Katherine as realistically as possible while juggling the affections of the Salvatore brothers, only one of which she currently loves. Sub!Damon/Elena. Set sometime after Katherine died season 5</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Other Salvatore

The sound of hooves hitting the road along with the shakiness of the seat jolted Elena awake. She looked around in confusion, not understanding where she was.

"Are you alright, Miss Katherine?" She nearly jumped out of her skin when a voice came from her right. Next to her was a black woman who she had never seen before wearing a bonnet and a very strange dress.

Officially afraid, Elena tried breathing deeper but found her chest couldn't expand all the way. She looked down to find herself in a corset. "What's going on?" she whispered, feeling the fabric binding her torso.

"Miss Katherine, we are going to the Salvatore mansion, do you not remember?"

She looked at the woman beside her with furrowed eyebrows. Being called Katherine and wearing old clothing on the way to the Salvatores was ringing a bell. "Emily?" she gasped out the name she had only heard in passing before.

"Yes, Miss Katherine. Are you feeling well?" Emily put her hand up to her forehead but Elena swatted it away.

"Yeah, um, yes, I'm fine. We're going to the Salvatores, you say?" Maybe they would know what the hell is going on.

"Mr. Salvatore is on leave from the war, Miss. He has requested your presence."

Damon. He was the only one who went to war when they were human, right? She hoped it was him. The last thing she remembered before waking up here was going to sleep beside Damon in his bed. What had happened?

The carriage was pulled up a small road towards a grand mansion. Elena remembered the time Stefan took her to the ruins of his house. It was breathtaking how the house looked now. The garden in the front was well kept and all the marble polished. When the carriage stopped in front of the steps, Emily got out first before helping Elena down.

Her heart jumped when she looked up into a familiar pair of blue eyes. His hair was longer and his clothing more formal but she wouldn't mistake Damon for anyone else.

Unaware of her surroundings, she ran as quickly towards him as her corset would let her before throwing herself into his arms. "Damon," she cried out. "I'm so glad to see you!"

Damon stumbled back in surprise. "Miss Katherine," he said politely, pulling back. His cheeks were flushed at such a public display of affection. "Had I known you'd be this excited, I would have come back sooner."

"Right," she said, pasting a smile on her face.

Damon genuinely smiled back, offering her his arm. "May I escort you inside?"

She looked back at Emily before wrapping her arm around his. Did he really not know anything?

He lead her inside, nodding to some of the servants and verbally greeting an older man. "Father," he did a partial bow before looking expectantly to Elena.

Father? Eyes wide, she did a quick curtsey. "Mr. Salvatore."

His eyes were cold as he regarded her. "Son, Miss Katherine," he said before walking away.

She let out a breath that she didn't know she had been holding as Damon pulled her up the stairs. "You must excuse my father. There have been some rumors around town about the..." he took a quick look around before continuing, "vampires." Elena's eyes stayed blank and he mistook it for fear. "You mustn't worry about me telling for you know how I feel about you and what you are. However, my brother Stefan..."

"Where is he?" she piped up; maybe he'll know what's going on.

Hurt crossed Damon's face before he covered it up with a soft smile. "He had to go into town, Father's orders."

She nodded as they entered a bedroom she assumed was his. Before the door even closed, she was assaulted by his lips on hers. She was at first surprised but clung onto Damon. The way he held her gently was not at all like the passionate makeouts they used to have but she would take anything at this point. His fingers quickly unlaced the strings behind her back, obviously well practiced. The corset fell loose as she sighed, finally able to breathe and move freely. Damon pulled her forward and himself backwards towards the bed until he could sit down. She was pulled on top of him and his kisses peppered her neck.

"Can I have a taste?" he murmured into her skin.

Elena was confused. Wasn't he a human? Wasn't she a vampire?

He nibbled at her neck but not hard enough to break skin. "Please, Miss Katherine," he begged, pulling a pin from her updo so that her hair cascaded down her back. He held the sharp point to her flesh. "I need it."

She looked down at him, horrified. "Why would you want... what?" she said in gasps.

Damon's eyebrows lowered. "You know why I like it. Please, Katherine, turn me right now, before Stefan comes back."

Elena practically jumped off his lap. She couldn't believe the way Damon was acting. Not once when she was human had she purposely drank vampire blood. She also did not want to become a vampire either.

Gaining composure, she sighed and put her hands on his shoulders. Katherine didn't kill them, their father did. She knew that much. "I'm not going to turn you," she softly told him. He dropped his head in defeat but she lifted his chin with her fingers. "You can feed on me though."

A wide grin spread across his face as he pulled her into another kiss. Her hand felt around for that pin he was holding earlier and found it on the bed. Leaning back from the kiss, she drew the point down her neck. His eyes were trained on the blood that beaded out of the wound. One of her hands encouraged him to move forward and before she knew it, his lips were latched around her neck. He tried to suck all of the blood up because her skin had already healed, a pink scar slowly lightening was all the evidence left. After laving her skin with his tongue, he leaned back with a smile. Even if she wouldn't turn him, he still had her blood in his system. If anything were to happen to him, he would turn into a vampire just like she was and the thought was comforting to him.

"Your turn," he whispered, baring his neck to her. His carotid artery was jumping beneath his skin, begging to be pierced.

Elena was conflicted. Should she feed on him? What if she lost control? No, she wouldn't; she had fed on humans plenty of times and still left them standing. But still, it did not feel right. "I don't know, Damon," she sighed.

"Why do you keep calling me that?" She looked up into his eyes; he seemed genuinely perplexed.

"What do you mean? Your name is Damon."

"Yes, but you refer to me as Mr. Salvatore most of the time."

Elena sighed, considering telling him the truth. She was not Katherine. She loved him in another life. But she couldn't bring herself to. "I thought we should try something new. I call you Damon and you can call me... Katherine," she smirked at him.

He nodded but kept his neck bared to her. She let out a shaky breath before turning away, leaving him alone on the bed.

"Are you saving it for Stefan?" he spat at her.

Alarmed at his sudden change in mood, she turned around quickly. "Saving it for Stefan?" she asked in disbelief.

"You always liked him more, saving the best stuff for him. First the Founder's Ball, now feeding. Why do you like him so much? You know I love you. You don't have to compel me to do anything."

"Damon, I-I do love you," she reassured him, walking over to take his hands in hers. He jerked his away, anger taking over his features. "No more," she breathed out. He turned his head to look at her, the anger melting away slowly. "No more sharing, okay? It's just you and me now."

He looked like he wanted to believe her but wasn't sure if he was setting himself up for heartbreak. "Are you serious?" he whispered.

"Of course," she said as she caressed his cheek. "You're the only one I love now."

His eyes started to tear up and his lips parted. Softly, she kissed him before trailing her lips to his neck. She ran her elongating canines over his pulse before sinking her teeth in. He groaned as she guided the blood down her throat. After a few moments, she pulled back, her mouth stained with his blood. He thought she never looked more beautiful than she did just then.

To Elena's surprise, he leaned in to kiss her. His tongue was sweeping across her lips, gathering up his blood. She could feel him growing hard beneath her. His hands grabbled at her waist, pulling her closer and fully on top of him as he leaned back. The bed creaked slightly as they both worked to take off their extensive clothing; never had Elena been more glad about 21st century fashion. Her corset and bodice fell to the floor, soon followed by the rest of their clothing. She tried to get him to roll on top of her but he resisted, preferring to be be on the bottom. She gave up struggling when a few of his fingers slipped into her from behind. Leaning back into them, she moaned. Damon's intake of breath informed her that her fangs had grown again. He was watching them in fascination. Loving the fact that she had all of his attention and love, Elena shifted upwards so he could be positioned at her entrance. Slowly, she settled down on him. The way he filled her up completely was something she didn't know she missed until just now.

She began moving above him with her hands on his chest. His hands were loosely holding her hips, not guiding her but there as a reassurance. This submissive Damon was something Elena would have to get used to. It was strange but refreshing to be doing most of the work and having all of the control. She eyed his wounded neck as she leaned down. Some drops of blood were leaking out when Damon's body moved as it collided with hers. She licked up the liquid, causing Damon to moan. His enthusiasm for blood sharing was unexpected considering that they had never done it like this before. Human Damon was just full of surprises.

She sped up as the coil in her core tightened. He offered minimum help but the way he was gazing up at her in admiration made her want to go even faster. His hands began trailing across her skin, cupping a breast, caressing her stomach, before finally reaching the throbbing place between her legs. She let out a guttural moan as he massaged her there. Her fangs dropped and before she could think about it, she bit down into his shoulder.

He gave out a pleasure filled cry as he thrusted up hard, finishing inside of her. Combined with the taste of his blood, she finally came before collapsing on top of him. They both panted against each other, Damon's fingers swirling around her back while Elena watched the blood trickle onto his sheets.

"Your father is going to be angry," she motioned to the bed once she caught her breath.

He let out a laugh. "One, do not talk about my father right after we make love." Elena's stomach fluttered. "Two, the maids do the laundry and you compelled them to forget about the blood as soon as it was clean, remember?"

She slowly nodded as her fluttering stomach turned into knots. How long can she keep lying to him? He thought she was Katherine, for God's sake. He doesn't really love her, he loves Katherine.

Her stomach sinking, she untangled herself from him. She walked up to the mirror across the room, looking at herself. She looked the same in every way, but she knew that the body she wore was Katherine's. Could Damon ever love her as much as he loves Katherine at this point in time?

Without warning, the door opened and Stefan walked in while digging through a bag. "Damon, Father keeps questioning me as to why you are still home. How long can I keep lying... to him.." he trailed off as he looked up to see Elena naked by the mirror and then Damon in similar lack of dress on the bed. Shying his eyes away from his brother, he cleared his throat and looked at the ground. "Right. I see that you are occupied. I shall come back later," he awkwardly said to the floor before leaving the room.

Damon and Elena looked at each other. "You should talk to him," he broke the silence.

She cocked her head to the side. "Why?"

"You told me that I am the one for you, so you need to end it with him," he explained stoically.

Elena almost rolled her eyes. Why was she being sucked into Katherine drama again? She thought she was rid of her when she died but obviously fate had something else planned. "And I have to do that right now?"

"It's best not to keep him believing that he still has you when he does not." When Elena didn't move, he sighed. "If you don't break up with him now, then you don't really love me."

"But you know I love you," she gasped incredulously.

"I cannot accept your feelings for me if you do not end it with my brother as soon as you possibly can," he frowned as he got up to gather his clothes. "It hurts too much to have to share you with him."

Elena thought for a minute. It wasn't as if she actually cared for Stefan as more than a friend, but she did not want to deal with breaking his heart, yet again. But she realized the longer she waited, the more she would be breaking the heart of the man right in front of her. "Okay," she whispered. Damon's head shot up and he grinned. "Never forget that I love you first and foremost. I will do anything for you."

"Except turn me," he raised his eyebrows, but his smile showed that he was joking.

"Someday," she promised. She gave him a kiss before gathering her clothes to face the other Salvatore.


	2. The Dinner Party

Gathering her courage, Elena headed out of Damon's room. It was only then that she realized she had no idea where Stefan was. She asked a few servants if they knew where he was and they pointed her towards the garden out back. She found him strolling along the neatly trimmed bushes.

"Stefan," she breathed out once she was close enough for him to hear.

He turned and gave her a small smile. "Miss Katherine. I did not know that you were visiting."

"I didn't either," she admitted, clasping her hands nervously behind her.

"Did Damon invite you?" A twinge of jealousy could be seen in his eye but he hid it well.

"About Damon... I can't have both of you anymore."

He tilted his head to the left. "What does that mean?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm choosing him. We cannot be together anymore."

His face went blank and if his eyes didn't harden, she would've thought that he didn't hear her. "You said... you said that you wanted both of us," he choked out. He tried to hold it together but his lip trembled as his eyes teared up.

"I know, but I've changed my mind. My heart belongs to only Damon," she said gently. She took a step forward, attempting comfort him, but he hastily took a step back.

"But you love me more," he whispered, his eyes turning desperate and vulnerable.

Grimacing, she shook her head. "I'm so sorry, but it's best if you move on."

He stared at her with broken eyes as she walked away. After trying so hard to fall in love with her, she was going to be impossible to get over.

On her way back to Damon's room, she ran into his father. Slightly frightened by him, she gave a small curtsey and continued on her way until he blocked her path. "Miss Pierce," he said smoothly, causing her to look up into his eyes. They were cold and calculating. "It seems that my sons are quite fond of you. It would benefit us both if you would accompany us to supper tonight, starting in twenty minutes."

She gave a slow nod, her wide eyes still connected to his. "I will see you then," she managed to squeak out.

"I look forward to getting to know you better." With a curt nod, he was on his way, leaving her in the middle of the hallway with a quickened pulse. Before anyone could stop her again, she made her way into Damon's room. He was fully dressed now and combing his hair. He raised his eyebrow as she entered the room.

"Did you end it?" were the first words out of his mouth before he even greeted her.

Looking down in shame, she nodded her head. "I don't think he took it well."

"He will get over it," he shrugged, walking over to give her a hug.

"Your compassion is killing me," she smirked as he leaned down for a kiss.

"What can I say? I've never been happier." He couldn't contain his grin as he held her tighter.

"Your father invited me for dinner tonight."

His smile dropped for a second. "Did he say why?"

"He said he wanted to get to know me better." She frowned when he pulled away. "What's wrong?"

"He might suspect," he grimaced, rubbing his face with his hand.

Elena's veins turned to ice. "That I'm a vampire?"

He stared at her for a second before nodding. "We need to make sure there is no vervain in the house because if it is in the food, he will know."

Panic started to rise in her. She'd been there all of two hours and she was about to be found out. "Okay, let's go."

Arm in arm, they headed to the kitchen. He asked one of the cooks if there was any vervain in the food. He replied that only the drinks had vervain added, relieving Elena a bit. She would just have to avoid them.

Damon led her into the dining room. The elegance took her breath away. Gold utensils were placed around each porcelain plate at a clothed table the entire length of the room. Why they would need a table that big for only three people, she would never know. Stefan was already sitting at one end of the eyes crossed for a second before he glared down at his plate. She felt a pang in her heart but before she could do anything, Damon was pulling out a seat for her. Smiling graciously, she sat down and snuck a glance to her right. Stefan was idly fiddling with his cloth napkin. Damon took a seat across the table and beamed up at her. The swell of emotions flying around the room were confusing and she didn't know if she should feel content or melancholy.

The head of the house entered the room swiftly and glided to the other end of the table. A servant pulled his chair back so he could sit while another one unfolded his napkin to place across his lap. He looked down the table at his two sons and their mutual love. When he nodded, the brothers picked up their eating utensils so Elena quickly followed. Food began to be brought out: roast beef, mashed potatoes and asparagus were the first foods to be passed around. The servants also poured drinks. Elena grimaced at the light brown liquid poured into her glass, knowing that one sip would expose her to the vampire hunter in the room.

After a nod from their father, Damon and Stefan began digging in. Damon looked up to find Elena still glaring at her glass so he cleared his throat and nodded down to his food. She sighed and began picking at the food. It was good but did not really hit the spot; she preferred her meat rarer and with a lot more blood, of course.

Giuseppe Salvatore gently set down his fork and knife before knitting his fingers and resting his gaze on Elena. "So, Miss Pierce," he started, causing her to shiver and straighten her back. "What brings you to Mystic Falls? I never understood why you came to our small town so many months ago."

There was a knot in her throat but she swallowed it down. "I was in England, sir, and the opportunity arose to travel to America so I took it as quickly as possible," she tried to say politely and elegantly but her voice shook a little. Damon's eyes were bouncing between his father's and hers while Stefan wouldn't look at either of them.

"Is that where you are from originally? England?" he followed up, his eyes piercing into her skull.

"Actually no, I'm from Bulgaria but I had friends in England," she slightly frowned. Klaus and Elijah were friends, right?

"It's a good thing you left England, there have been many massacres there recently." He was still watching her so she raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Yes, victims drained of blood. The locals are saying it was a bear but bears don't leave people intact like that."

Her eyes shifted to Damon, who looked a little bit worried. "What's happening then?" she feigned innocence.

"Would you believe me if I told you it was the work of vampires?" he asked, leaning forward and squinting his eyes.

She let out a nervous chuckle. "Vampires? Those are myths. They are not real."

"Why don't you have a drink?" When she hesitated, he gestured to her full glass. "You haven't touched it all night."

"I don't usually drink a lot," she said softly, widening her eyes at Damon. He gave an indiscernible shrug before looking down at his plate.

"I insist," his father stated in a voice that said she had better obey.

Arm slightly shaking, she reached out and picked up the glass. Setting it to her lips, she looked at Damon quickly before tilting it up. The vervain-laced drink burned her lips but she did not let them part. She swallowed a few times so it looked like she was actually drinking before setting the glass down again. She swiped her tongue across her lips to get rid of the vervain that was no doubt burning them at the moment. When she looked back up at Giuseppe, she smiled to show that she was not harmed even though the pain made her want to groan. "That was quite refreshing, thank you."

Stefan sighed, causing everyone to look down the table at him. "Are there only vampires in England?" he asked his father, not sparing a look to either Damon nor Elena.

Giuseppe smiled at his favorite son. "Well, there are some rumors that our own town is infested in them, but we have yet to find proof. Either the people harboring them know and are willingly feeding them blood or they are getting their blood source from elsewhere." Damon grabbed his neck at these words, massaging the side that Elena knew she had feasted on earlier.

"What would you do if you caught one?" Elena stared wide eyed at Stefan but his eyes were focused on his dad.

"I would stake them right then and there," Giuseppe said jovially. "Watch the evil leave their eyes as they died."

Damon blatantly glared Stefan down. Stefan flickered his eyes to his brother before sighing again. "Well, let's hope it will not come to that. Excuse me," he mumbled as he stood up and left the table.

Elena looked at Damon then his father before excusing herself as well. She followed Stefan as he exited from the front of the house. "What was all that about?" she asked in a false whisper.

"All of what about?" His voice was hard and sharp against her ears.

"Are you trying to expose me?" Coldness gripped her heart. What if the only reason he hadn't told his father up until then was because they were in love?

"I'm not trying to expose you," he sighed, dragging his hand over his face as he turned around to face her.

"If your father finds out, I'm as good as dead. You heard him in there!"

"I know, I know." He couldn't even look at her, his eyes flitting from the trees to the sky to the birds.

"I still want to be your friend, Stefan, but you can't reveal what I am." He finally looked at her to find her gazing up at him desperately.

"I do not know if I can be your friend right now, Katherine. I need time to get over you. Not that you would understand; yesterday you loved me and now you say you don't. Did you ever love me at all?" His eyes were tearing up again and it broke Elena's heart.

"Of course I did, but it changed so suddenly. It's not your fault," she tried to comfort him.

He wiped the tears away and his eyes hardened. "I know it's not. I never thought it was," he said curtly. He turned to keep walking before stopping and facing her again. "I will not out you purely on the reason that it would be wrong to sign your death sentence, but do not mistake that my love for you overshadows my hate because it does not. You and Damon would do best to stay away from me now." Done with his piece, Stefan walked away without looking back again.

Elena was filled with deep sadness. Letting someone down was the hardest part of relationships, especially one you weren't even engaged in before. Just as she was turning to go back into the house, a wave of dizziness washed over her. She jutted her arm out to grab something but there was only air.

At first it was murmuring but it built up into a roar of chanting. The language was foreign but somewhat recognizable. Flashes of fire and blood along with the feeling of being cold.

Her hair was being tucked behind her ear. Soft kisses were placed along her forehead and cheeks. "Miss Katherine?"

Her eyes bolted open. "What?" she gasped, gaping at the eyes above her.

"You had fainted, Miss Katherine," Damon said softly, still stroking her hair.

Looking around, she noticed she was on the gravel path in front of the house. He helped her up slowly and brushed the dirt off of her dress. "Are you okay?" he questioned, concern oozing out of his voice and expression.

"I think so. I think..." she thought back to what she was feeling before she woke up. What was the chanting about?

"Let's get you inside." He guided her to his bedroom and sat her on his bed before sitting next to her. "Would you like some of my blood? Maybe it will clear your head."

She was about to agree before she remembered dinner. "Did you drink the vervain?"

He laughed as if her question was ridiculous. "I would never drink vervain."

Nodding, she moved his hair away from his neck and ran her lips along his skin. His hand gripped her in anticipation so she quickly opened her mouth and latched onto his neck. He hummed his approval as she sucked the blood out of him. He was right, she felt a lot more alert than earlier. She only took enough to quell the ever present thirst before pulling away. He smiled at her and ran his thumb along her lips, collecting his blood. She sucked it off the tip of his finger, causing his eyes to darken in desire. Biting her wrist, she offered it to him with a smile. He quickly attached his mouth to her wrist and closed his eyes as he drank. The rising tension in the room broke when he smashed his mouth into hers. Both of their blood mixed together as their tongues battled for dominance. Surprising both of them, he pushed her over so he was on top. He hesitated and pulled back, looking at her to see if she liked it or not. She nodded and pulled him back down again.

"You should be on top this time," she whispered, causing a shiver to go down his spine.

He had never been on top before. Katherine usually pinned him down and took him whenever she wanted, but being in control always intrigued him. "I can try."

They struggled out of their clothes again, well Elena more than Damon. He was used to them. The view from above was so different. Her hair was splayed out on the sheets and she looked up at him with complete trust. He kissed down her neck, stopping for a moment at her breasts before continuing his trek down. Pulling her legs up to his shoulders, he faced a part of her he'd never seen up close and personal before. He flitted his eyes up to hers for a second, saw her nodded consent, and took a deep breath. Spreading her with his fingers first, he tried to remember the tips his buddies from the army had told him. Outside feels better than the inside. He gave her a quick swipe with his tongue, and upon hearing her gasp of approval, stroked her harder. She tasted delightful, much like her blood. Her hands grabbed at the back of his head, pulling him closer to her. He added his hand into the mix, rubbing his fingers around what he assumed was her clitoris. Her responses from above encouraged him, made him wonder why they had never tried anything like this before. Katherine was different but in the best way possible.

It was only a few minutes until her body was shaking and her moans grew louder. She pulled him back up to engage in a passionate kiss. Her legs locked around his waist and if he moved just so, he would be inside her. . Her body seemed to beg for it the way it was grinding up at him so taking hold of the side of her hip, he finally entered her. He stayed still at first and whispered "Tell me what to do."

"Start slow," she murmured as her hands ran trails along his back.

He pulled back until he slid almost all the way out before pushing back in. It felt insane how much control he had. With a tilt of his hip, he was entering at another angle and made her cry out. He could change the pace and the rhythm at his leisure. The woman below him seemed to enjoy his reign and before long, he got off just on the sight of her pleasured face.

He collapsed on top of her, not too worried about crushing her since she was a vampire. Once his breathing evened out, he lifted his head to look up at her. She smiled at him but did not seem as relaxed as he was.

"Did you not come?" he whispered to her, his chin resting along her breasts.

"It's okay, I came earlier," she quietly assured him.

He hummed before rolling off of her and gathering her up to cuddle. They were silent for a few minutes until he kissed her temple and mumbled into her hair. "I love you, Miss Katherine."

Even after Damon had drifted off to sleep, Elena laid there awake for a few more hours, worrying about the implications of her living in Katherine's life.


	3. The Picnic

Elena was roused the next morning with Emily knocking on the door.

"Miss Katherine, you must awaken to keep up appearances." It took her a few moments to realize that she wasn't supposed to be sleeping in bed with Damon. No respectable woman in that time would be caught in bed with a man they weren't married to. "May I enter?"

"Just a second!" she raised her voice before scrambling out of bed. She put on her undergarments and made sure Damon was covered by his sheets before she opened the door. "Mind helping me put my dress on?"

"That is what I am here for," Emily smiled and began lacing up her corset.

Elena stared at Emily's reflection in the mirror. She could roughly see Bonnie's features in her face and wondered how distantly the Bennett women were related. Did Emily already have children? Elena doubted she would have time to later since not long after the tomb vampires were "killed", Emily was burned at the stake.

She was glad Emily had the foresight to bring another dress so she wouldn't have to walk around all day wearing the same one as yesterday. Once she was properly dressed, she glanced one last time at Damon sleeping before heading out of the room with Emily. They began walking out of the house and toward the carriage that brought them to the Salvatore Estate in the first place.

"Where are we going?" Elena asked as Emily helped her into the carriage.

"You usually like to go on a little ride to clear your head after a night with one of the Salvatores, do you not, Miss Katherine?"

Elena sighed. "Emily, I have to tell you something..." She paused and looked up at the other woman. She looked relaxed in her seat but was attentively listening to Elena. "I'm not Katherine."

Emily showed a bit of confusion before covering it up. "What do you mean? Of course you are Miss Katherine. Who else would you be?"

"Would you believe it if I told you I'm actually her doppelganger from the future mysteriously transported back into her body?"

Emily was silent, trying to decide if Katherine was lying or not. Why would she, though? "You're from the future?"

"Yes, 2012. I knew Katherine then too, also Stefan and Damon. One of your relatives, Bonnie Bennett, is actually my best friend. I honestly have no idea what I'm doing here and I'd appreciate it if you'd help me."

Emily thought for a minute. Katherine had been acting differently, confused by things that had been routine around here for the past few months. There was a rumor that she had broken up with Stefan when it was a well known fact that Katherine preferred the younger Salvatore. "Did you know about me from the brothers and the real Katherine?" Emily asked.

Elena breathed a sigh of relief. At least she believed her. "Stefan told me about you in 2009. You were even able to channel yourself into Bonnie's body a few times."

"So you're close to Stefan?" Emily observed.

"I used to be. The last thing I remember before coming here was Damon and I know we were dating. Unlike Katherine, I don't string them both along at the same time."

Emily barely constrained a giggle. "Miss Katherine definitely has a penchant against rules. Do you know if there were any witches you crossed before?"

"That's the thing, I barely remember anything from the last few months except being with Damon. Katherine had taken over my body, so maybe—"

"Wait, Miss Katherine took over your body?" Emily interjected. "Much like you're doing to her now?"

Elena furrowed her eyebrows and thought. "Kind of, yes. She was put into my body as a Passenger. Did you know she was a Traveller?"

"No... But then again I did not know much about Miss Katherine's life. No doubt she would not want to reveal her Traveller status to a witch, though."

"Do you think this is like a trade? She took over my life and now I get to take over hers?" Elena was worried. What if she never got out of here? Since she was already in a vampire's body, she wouldn't have to worry about dying before the 21st century but she wanted to live her own life, not Katherine's.

"The Travellers might have done this to try to bring balance the universe." Elena snorted. The universe was nothing but a dead Traveller named Markos. "I can try to look into reversing the spell but it might take some time. Traveller magic is tricky because it bends the normal rules of magic."

"There's another thing. Yesterday, I got dizzy and heard some chanting. I think it was witches or Travellers or whatever. What if I was hearing the spell that put me here?"

Emily slowly nodded. "Possibly. Do you remember what they were saying?"

"No... I was too confused," she replied defeatedly.

Emily put her hand on Elena's arm. "That is okay. I will ask around and look into my grimoire for some answers. We will sort this out."

Elena was incredibly grateful to have Emily here with her. Having a witch on her side was never taken lightly. They continued their ride around the town in silence, Emily thinking of possible solutions for their problem, Elena wondering how she was going to tell Damon about this dilemma.

By the time they pulled back up to the house, Damon was standing on the front porch wearing a wide smile. His clothing was slightly more casual than the day before and he was holding what looked like a basket. Once they exited the carriage, Damon bent into a shallow bow before taking Elena's hand to kiss. "Emily, Miss Katherine," he greeted. Elena's hand was still entwined with his as he began walking away to the side of the house.

"Where are we going?" Elena asked as she looked back, seeing Emily heading into the house to leave them alone.

"I thought it would be nice to have breakfast in the countryside. I woke up and you were not there so I figured you would be hungry."

She was a little hungry and wondered if he had any blood bags with him. "I would love that, thank you."

He lead her down to the stable located to the right of the house and brought her up to an onyx colored horse. "You've met Bellatrix before," he said as he stroked her neck. The horse was eyeing Elena suspiciously, making Elena unsure of what to do. Damon pulled her closer. "Come on, don't act afraid. You almost ride her better than I do," he chuckled.

Bellatrix whinnied and bucked back before turning away when Elena tried to pat her nose. Damon frowned and held on to her hand. "Maybe just go slower? She might not remember you, though we rode her a few weeks ago..."

It took a little bit of coaxing but eventually Bellatrix let Elena pet her. Damon strapped the saddle on her and brought Elena to her side. He bucked the basket on the side of the saddle before looking at Elena expectantly. "Do you want to sit in the back so I can steer?" he quietly questioned. Katherine was usually the first one on Bellatrix but she was acting almost scared now.

"Umm, of course. Can you help me?" she asked, knowing that she was doing a poor job of imitating Katherine but she had never been on a horse before.

Damon raised his eyebrows but nodded and showed her where to put her feet before helping to hoist her up. When she attempted to sit like she had normally seen people sit on horses, he reminded her to keep her legs on the same side. She realized that her dress would not allow her to spread them across the horse anyway so she followed his directions. Once she was settled, he quickly hopped up onto the saddle in front of her. She timidly wrapped her arms around his torso as he gathered up the reins and ushered Bellatrix out of the stable. Elena's heart was beating in doubletime as she held onto Damon tighter. She didn't want to ask him to slow down when they went into a gallop because she knew it wouldn't be a very Katherine thing of her to say. Fear was gripping her throat as she began slipping to the side. Damon chuckled when she gave him a tight squeeze, using him as leverage to situate herself on the saddle better. He didn't understand why she was acting like this but it was amusing.

They rode for a few minutes before Damon slowed them down to a stop. He hopped off before helping Elena come down graciously. After taking the basket off the saddle, he tied Bellatrix to a nearby post and lead them to a patch of grass. He took out a blanket from the basket and spread it out before gesturing for her to sit.

"I brought some food but since I know it doesn't exactly hit the spot for you, I figured you can just drink from me again." His smile was mesmerizing and contagious.

"Thank you. I'm sure it would be delectable even without your blood because you're here with me."

He dug into the basket and pulled out a jar full of strawberries. Taking one in his hand, he leaned over to hand feed Elena. The butterflies in her stomach fluttered at the romantic gesture, trying to imagine present day Damon doing the same without cracking a joke. She made sure to bite into it slowly and winked at him. Biting his lip, he offered her the jar. She picked one up and dangled it in front of his lips. He tried to catch it in his mouth but she would pull it away just as his teeth touched it. This continued a few times before he grabbed her wrist and led it to his lips. She could barely contain her giggles as he ate the fruit before placing kisses along her wrist. He sucked for a second at her pulse point before pulling back and smiling at her. They continued feeding each other the strawberries until the jar was empty.

"Did you bring anything else?" she asked when he placed the empty jar back into the basket.

He turned back to her and looked into her eyes before asking his own question. "Are you hungry?"

Her gaze went immediately to his neck where she could hear the blood rushing through his veins. "Now that you mention it..."

"Go ahead." Accepting the invitation, she began vamping out. The way Damon stared at her in admiration made her feel beautiful, even with the raised veins, darkened eyes and emerging fangs. She was on his pulse in a second and in another had his blood flowing down her throat. His human blood tasted better than anything she had ever drank before and, assuming she would be able to get back to 2012, would be something she would sorely miss. She decided she had taken enough after another few seconds, recalling that she had been feeding on him since yesterday. When she pulled back, a thought popped into her head.

"Do you have any blood bags?" If she could fill up on a blood bag, she wouldn't have to worry about drinking too much from him.

"Blood bags? What are those?" He seemed genuinely confused, which in turn confused her.

"Were they not invented yet?" she asked herself out loud.

"Invented yet? Whatever are you talking about?"

Elena sighed and gazed into his eyes. She contemplated compelling this conversation away but realized how wrong that would be. "Don't worry about it."

He wouldn't look away even when she looked down so she did the next best thing. A hand wrapped around his neck, she pulled him into a kiss. He didn't respond much at first, his mind still on their conversation but it didn't take much to get him to engage. His eyes eventually closed and his arm pulled at her waist. Their makeout session did not last too long since they were out in the open. Though it was unlikely, someone could ride by and Miss Katherine's reputation as a respectable lady of Mystic Falls would be out the window. Once their lust was satiated for the moment, they packed up and headed back to the Salvatore Estate.

Elena tried to pretend everything was fine, but she would catch Damon staring at her with a questioning gaze. She had never addressed his question from earlier and she could tell he was starting to put the pieces together, albeit slowly. Displays of affection seemed to snap him out of it so they spent the next few days holding hands whenever it was appropriate and nights locked inside his room. Elena was admittedly just biding time until Emily came up with a solution, but Damon was not definitely not the worst person to pass time with. In fact, she would love to stay there with him forever if he would stop confessing his love to Katherine and if the looming fear of being caught was not always present.

It was one day, Elena had no idea which since each day seemed to blend together, that Emily hurriedly approached her as she was strolling through the Estate.

"Miss Katherine, or whichever name you go by, I think I have found something."


	4. The Cabin

A mixture of fear and excitement flooded Elena's body as Emily took them to a more secluded area. Emily closed all the curtains so they were draped in darkness.

"I have contacted a few of my sources about our suspicions of the Travelers' involvement," she started without preamble. "They were wary about spells that could travel a person's consciousness through time, until they remembered a case from years ago. Another one of your doppelgangers, Tatia, would frequently change personalities. It was believed that she was insane, especially when she would recount events from Ancient Greece as if she had lived through them. This was hundreds of years ago and almost forgotten until I spoke of you."

Elena sighed and nodded. Tatia was before Katherine's time and had both Klaus and Elijah wrapped around her finger. The Ancient Greece part must have been Amara. Maybe since she was frozen as a statue and stuck as the anchor, Silas might have been able to allow her to live for short periods of time through her doppelganger.

"Do you know how to undo this?"

"That is the thing, Tatia only stopped changing personalities when she was killed."

Elena closed her eyes, willing the tears to go away. "There has to be another way," she whispered. "There always is. No matter how hopeless the situation gets, we always find another way."

"Perhaps I can search some more, but my knowledge of a Traveler willing to help a witch is rather lacking." Elena nodded, head cast down. "I will tell you one thing, though. Travelers are known for wanting to perform great things, so your presence here might be a means to an end for them. Whatever you do, just remember to be careful."

Even after Emily had left the room, Elena stayed in it for a little while. What could the Travelers possibly want her to do? And in Katherine's body? Why couldn't there be an easy spell or a simple ritual to send her back where she belonged? She pulled back the curtain to watch life go on outside as if nothing was out of place.

Would this be her home now? While she loved Damon, she wished he knew who she really was. Plus, she desperately missed Bonnie and Caroline and Matt and Jeremy and even Tyler. Being friends with Stefan was also great when he wasn't desperately in love with her. And while she technically did have Damon here, he wasn't the same Damon she fell in love with. It was great to see how he was before he was turned, but she missed his snarky commentary and endless teasing. Damn, she never thought she would miss his annoying smug attitude, but she did.

If worst came to worst and there was no way out of this, Elena supposed she could make it through. Assuming she would be able to stay alive through the crusade against the supernatural, she might turn Damon soon and they could be together forever. And once it was the 21st century again, she could come back to Mystic Falls and see all of her old friends again. This was definitely not how she wanted her life to end up, but it was better than nothing.

The door to the room opened, surprising Elena. She vampsped behind an armoire and held her breath.

"Father, surely you must not believe them all to be evil." It was definitely Stefan talking.

"They are, Son. They are the personification of evil. Do not tell me you believe immortal bloodsuckers to be morally correct." Giuseppe's voice sent ice down Elena's spine.

"But what if they are cured? Can't their souls be cleansed? Can't they be worthy of love then?" Stefan's voice was hinging on hysteria but he kept it together well.

"Souls? They have no souls. And there is no cure that you speak of." Giuseppe paused and Elena could hear his heart beat faster. "Why do you ask? Is there a vampire that you are in love with?"

"No... Father, I..." Stefan said weakly, but the damage was already done. "I'm just saying, if I ever fall in love with a woman who happens to be a vampire..."

"Where is that Katherine Pierce?" Stefan's heart was pounding loudly in Elena's ears, practically the only thing she could hear now above the rushing sound of fear. "You answer me now, boy. I knew there was something wrong with her. Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Father, no. Please don't..." Stefan stood helplessly as his father worked himself into a rage.

"They are disgusting creatures who will never be looked upon favorably in the eyes of God. If you find that girl, send her straight to me." The door banged as he left and Elena counted his footsteps until he was on the other side of the house.

"How could you do that?" Stefan jumped when Elena appeared from behind the furniture.

"Katherine, I'm sorry, I didn't, I don't..." he seemed out of words, his eyes blurry with tears.

"He's going to kill me now, do you understand that?" Elena's voice was rising with every word, with every thought of the betrayal.

"I never meant for this to happen. I just thought..." Stefan paused and looked down at his shoes.

"Thought what?" she nearly screeched at him, anger rising.

"I thought that if you weren't a vampire, Damon wouldn't love you anymore. And without Damon, you would come back to me because you know I would love you whether you were a vampire or not." He could barely look up at her as he spoke.

"Are you insane? What is wrong with you? Do you not understand that now your father won't rest until there is a stake in my heart?" Elena closed her eyes and tried to calm down as soon as she saw the tears streaking down Stefan's face.

"I know. I'm so sorry. You should run." They regarded each other, Elena's eyes pinched with anger and Stefan's soft with sorrow. "If you leave now, he might not be able to find you."

Elena stepped back, intending to leave without saying anything else before considering otherwise. "I'm sorry, Stefan. In another life, I would've chosen you." Literally, she thought. "I will probably never see you again, but you should know that I did love you once. I will be taking Damon with me."

Stefan's head dropped in defeat and he nodded. When he looked up again, she was gone.

Elena vampsped through the house as quickly and quietly as she could. She was at Damon's door in seconds and, looking around first to make sure no one was watching, entered his room. He was lounging on his bed reading a book that he put down the second he saw her.

"Miss Katherine," he smiled and stood up. "I was wondering where you-"

"No time," she breathed out, looking around his room. She took out a large bag and began throwing some of his clothing in it.

"What are you-"

"We have to go, now." His hand on her arm made her slow down. She stood up straight and sighed. "Your father knows."

Damon paled immensely. "How?" he choked out.

"Stefan. Now go get Emily and have her get the carriage ready as I finish packing."

"If what you say is true, there is no time. We will have to take Bellatrix so that my father does not know we are gone at first."

Elena paused at this. She really did not want to leave Emily, especially since she was looking up ways for her to get back to her own body. But if she waited to get her, she might as well be signing her death sentence. Reluctantly, she nodded and Damon helped her gather more things. They stopped by the kitchen for a second to grab some water and fruit for Damon before practically jogging to the stables. Elena was charged with holding the bag while Damon ushered the horse into a gallop and they were leaving the Salvatore Estate behind.

She felt like she could breathe again once they were far down the road where the only thing they could see were trees. Though she was still afraid of the horse, the fear seemed irrational since she came extremely close to being caught and killed. Damon stayed silent the whole time, focused entirely on having Bellatrix lead them as far away from his home as possible. They must have been riding for at least an hour before he slowed them down to a trot.

"There's a cabin out here that my friends in the army used to talk about," he said softly, knowing that she could hear him. "My father has no reason to suspect that we would be here since he does not know about it and neither does my brother."

"It's not his fault," she said into his ear, suddenly defensive. "He didn't mean to tell but your father figured it out. He's still in love with me and wanted to find a way to make me love him too."

"Do you still love him?" Insecurity was screaming through his voice.

"No, I don't. I am angry that I was found out but your brother only had good intentions."

"Stealing you away from me are not good intentions," he argued as they came upon a wooden house. The cabin was a moderate size and hidden deep inside the foliage; a perfect hiding spot.

"Regardless, I am here with you now. I will always choose you over him."

Damon smiled as he dismounted and helped Elena down as well. He tied Bellatrix to a post before taking the bag from Elena's arm and leading her to the house. It did not seem to be owned by anyone since she could walk in without an invitation. To her surprise, the kitchen was stocked with some nonperishable food while the bed had sheets on it already.

"The guys like to keep it ready in case any of us need to drop by unexpectedly. Its working out a lot better than I planned," Damon informed her.

She nodded and sat down on the bed. "What are we going to do?"

"We can't go back," he said slowly as he thought out loud. "Maybe we can wait out here a few days while we gather our bearings. You can maybe even turn me while we're here..." He sighed at Elena's pointed look. "Come on, Katherine, we're in this for good now. There's no going back. I'm going to be with you forever and to do that, I need to be a vampire too."

She couldn't dispute that, so she just nodded. "Then what would we feed on? Unless you want to drink from Bellatrix, we're going to need to go to a populated area sooner or later."

"We can go up north to a city, like Boston or Philadelphia. Or maybe even more south to battlefields and drink from the dying." So Damon already had a sinister edge to him, that was good to know.

"As long as I'm with you, I don't care where we are. You're all I need," she told him and his eyes started to shimmer.

He sat down next to her and took her hand in his. "We will always be together, Katherine," he promised before pulling her into a kiss. It stayed chaste for a second, both of them reveling in the fact that they were safe and did not have to worry anymore. Damon's hand began pawing at her hip while his tongue traced along the seam of her lips, easily slipping into her eagerly awaiting mouth. She swung her leg over his to straddle him, their mouths aligning better. His fingers fluttered around her torso, slowly undoing the straps and buttons that held her clothes together. She tangled her fingers into his curly hair, trying to imagine the Damon she knew with this style. Of course, this was still Damon, but the differences were insurmountable.

When her bodice was so loose it was practically falling off her body, Elena stood to discard the unneeded clothing. Damon's shirt quickly followed before she was on his lap again, kissing him as if he was the air she needed to breathe. His hands massaged her hips and made her grind on him, causing both of them to let out soft moans. Not able to wait anymore, she slipped out of her underwear and opened his pants. As soon as his cock was free, she slid down on it.

Damon's puffs of breaths hit her ear as she began riding him. His hands traveled down her back and he began kneading her ass. She let her head drop to his shoulders and let out a sigh, listening to the blood pumping rapidly through his veins. Her fingers grazed the skin on his shoulders roughly as he began using his arms to move her faster. His hips moved up a little to meet her on her way down, making her cry out. His gasps and groans filled her ears and it wasn't until she felt warm liquid running down her hands did she know why. Her fingers were digging deep scratches down his back while the blood was flowing freely onto her hands.

She gasped and pulled her hands away. "I'm so sorry!" she said breathlessly, staring at the blood staining her fingers. Her teeth were aching as she imagined the blood on her lips and she was sucking on her fingers before she could stop it. "Was that too much?" While she knew vampires loved pain like that, Damon was still a human.

"No, I love it. It feels amazing," he groaned as he continued to move her hips without her help.

She completely cleaned off her fingers before biting into her wrist and offering it to him. He drank from her greedily and she watched as the wounds closed up, leaving dried blood as the only evidence that they were there at all.

Both filled with the blood of the other, they continued making love with a new rigor. Elena rode him until her legs quivered and she let out a desperate moan. Capturing her lips, Damon quickly turned them over so he was standing off of the bed while Elena was at the edge. She could taste her blood on his lips and was sure he could taste his as well. He slowly entered her again with a confidence he didn't have the last time he took control.

"God, Katherine," he sighed as he filled her with gentle strokes. "You feel so good." She mewed her agreement as the pressure started building again. He was filling her as deeply as he could and was taking his time, trying to get her through another orgasm before he reached his end. Unfortunately, with human stamina, once he was done it would take a little while before he was ready again.

With a little luck, and a finger on her clit, Elena came seconds before he did. He collapsed on top of her with her legs wrapped tightly around his waist and his harsh breathing on her neck. They stayed like that for a while, enjoying their connection and the realization that it really could be like this forever. Just the two of them. No father to answer to or jealous glares from a brother. Elena massaged his scalp as he lightly stroked the skin of her waist. His growling stomach interrupted the moment, causing both of them to laugh.

"Are you hungry?" she asked with a smile.

"I guess so," he said regretfully, not wanting to get up but knowing he would have to. He was human, after all.

"Go get something to eat, I'll be right here." Grudgingly, he got up but didn't get dressed since it was only the two of them there. Grabbing two apples and a jug of water, he went back into his room to find Elena snuggled under the covers. A portion of the sheets were stained red with his blood but he shrugged it off. She raised the sheets up, offering him to join her.

Once he was settled in next to her, she held on to one of his arms while he began eating. "Can I tell you something?" she asked quietly. Her tone made him look down at her in concern.

"You know you can tell anything," he tried to reassure her.

"When you found out I was a vampire, how hard was it to believe that the impossible was true?"

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion but he smiled. "I loved you so I knew you would not lie to me. Anything you tell me has to be true. Plus you had those fangs so I had to believe you," he chuckled.

She held her breath before letting it out slowly. "Well, here's something else that is impossible but true... I'm not Katherine."


	5. The Turning Point

The silence was deafening.

"What do you mean? Of course you are Katherine." Damon's voice sounded so sure but had a tremble of doubt.

"Think about it, Damon. I know you've been suspecting for days. I've never been that good at imitating her."

Damon's eyes were wide as he stared at her. His face twitched a few times and his gaze was suddenly a million miles away.

"Bellatrix didn't know you," he finally said softly.

"No. I may be in Katherine's body but I am definitely not her. She could sense it."

"And you were scared of riding..."

"I've never been on a horse before until now," she sheepishly admitted. While Caroline had been bitten with the horse bug, Elena had preferred to spend her time reading and writing.

"And that thing you mentioned when we had breakfast at the field, the blood thing-"

"Blood bags," she nodded.

"What are those?"

Elena sighed softly and looking into his wide eyes. He seemed vulnerable, as if his world was being flipped upside down. "They haven't been invented yet, but they are bags of human blood that hospitals use when needed. I don't usually feed from people, I drink from them instead."

"Not invented yet? What do you mean?" Elena wasn't sure, but it seemed that Damon was further away from her on the bed than when they started this conversation.

"I'm from the future, 2012. I don't know how or why I'm here," she answered the question that was on the tip of his tongue.

"How did you know me at first? You seemed familiar and comfortable with me most of all."

"In the future... we date."

He looked confused, as if this concept was completely crazy, but Elena knew a tiny part of him was relieved that he was alive in the future. That meant Katherine really did turn him into a vampire. "Well when were you born?"

"1992. But in 2011 I became a vampire. You sired me."

Damon nodded and looked away again. It was quiet for a few minutes, making Elena twitch with nerves. "What is your real name?"

The question was so unexpected, she almost forgot what her name was. "Elena. Elena Gilbert."

Damon's eyes popped open. "As in Jonathan Gilbert?"

She nodded and looked down. "We've probably changed the course of history, but in the old past," she scrunched her nose at the weird wording, "my ancestor had a hand in exposing the vampires in this town, including Katherine. She didn't really turn you. Yes, you had her blood in your system, but you died because your father shot you and Stefan while you tried to save Katherine from capture."

"That sounds like him," he grumbled resentfully. "Though I can't believe he would harm Golden Child Stefan."

"He hated both of you after learning your sympathy for the vampire cause." Damon was silent again and Elena feared for the worst. What if Damon didn't love her for her? What if he turned her in to his father to try to get on his good side? What if she just ruined everything? "Please say something?" she said in a pathetic whisper.

"I don't know what to say. I mean, I know I love Katherine... but these last couple of weeks with you have been amazing. Katherine was always cold and calculating and half the time I felt like she was using me. I was never first in Katherine's mind, I wasn't even second because she always thought of herself first and then my brother. I was merely the leftover. But with you... I could tell you really love me for me. You love me so much deeper than Katherine ever did and while I was hoping that maybe Katherine had matured, I knew inside that something had changed. I may not know who you are, not really, but I think I'm already in love with you."

A huge weight was lifted off of Elena's chest. He knew who she was, and he loved her for it. She couldn't think of a way this could have gone any better. Filled with joy, she leaned forward to give him a kiss but stopped immediately when his entire body tensed.

"I'm sorry... Miss Elena," he murmured, making her heart jump. "This is still strange, but I'll get used to it." He trailed a hand down her cheek before scooping her up into a cuddle. They held each other for a little while, trying to get used to the new dynamic in their relationship. Finally, Damon sighed and kissed the top of her head. "I still want to do this with you. Run away," he breathed into her hair.

She nodded, her head pressed against his chest. "And do you still want me to turn you?"

"Always," he whispered. She closed her eyes, allowing the rhythm of his breathing lull her to sleep.

In the morning, Elena woke up with Damon's arms around her and something poking her in the back. Smiling, she turned around and gazed at his sleeping form. His eyelashes lightly dusted the skin of his cheeks, his hair tangled and moussed around, his chest rising slowly with each breath, and his cock already half awake.

Elena checked to see if he was really asleep before carefully scooting down the bed. She lightly took him in her hand and began slow strokes, trying to make him harden more without waking him up. He occasionally let out small groans here and there but did not stir. Once he was fully erect, she leaned down until the tip was at her lips. After peppering it with a few kisses, she took him into her mouth. His hips jerked up reflexively and a hand brushed against her face. She bobbed her head a few times before deciding to just suck on the head, her eyes cast up to see if he was awakening. His eyes opened after letting out a moan and a sharp intake of breath, his usually light eyes dark with lust. He brushed his fingers along her hair and let out a sigh, "Katherine."

It felt like he had just slapped her. She sat up, a hurt expression sealed deeply on her face. It took Damon a few seconds to realize what was wrong. He closed his eyes in regret and covered his face with his hands, Elena carefully watching every move.

"I'm sorry," he muttered. "I... forgot."

Elena was speechless. She stared at him with a pained expression for a while, trying not to take the mistake personally. His erection finally withered away, the current mood killing it. He sighed and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, heading towards the kitchen for some food. She stayed in the bed, wrapping herself in some blankets and silently fuming. He returned ten minutes later with a sheepish look on his face.

"I'm so sorry, Elena." Oh, now he gets her name right. "I had just woken up and I wasn't thinking clearly. I know who you are now. And I'm sorry for all the times I have called you by her name before." Elena nodded but kept her eyes downcast. "I want this to work, but we need time to get used to each other."

"I'm already used to you," she whimpered. "I have been for years."

"Then let me catch up," he pleaded. "Please don't be mad."

"I'm trying not to be." She wiped a tear away but tried to look him in the eyes without a frown. He looked concerned and genuinely sorry, making her feel less angry. He took a few tentative steps towards her, only getting on the bed when she nodded. He wrapped her into a hug and she felt safe within his arms. Some things never change.

"When do you think you can turn me?"

Elena was surprised he was still thinking of that. The original goal was to be with Katherine forever, but that was out the window. "Why do you want to be a vampire so badly?"

"You guys have so much power and strength," he shrugged. "And you get to live forever. Who knows, maybe I'll spend it with you."

The butterflies she thought had long since died in her stomach started fluttering around again. "You love being a vampire," she mentioned, running a finger along his arm. "All the time I knew you, you never once wished to be human again."

"What about you?" When she looked at him in confusion, he elaborated. "Do you wish you were human?"

"Sometimes," she admitted. "But being human means I wouldn't have you forever, so I never gave it much serious thought."

Damon nodded and paused before asking another question. "What am I like in the future?"

"Very different," she said, biting her lip. "But also the same. You're a lot more sarcastic and harder around the edges, but you can be extremely soft when you want to be. Being a vampire changes you but you wore it well."

Damon's eyes were wide with wonder and yearning. "So when can we do it?"

"We have to leave either before or immediately after. You need to drink human blood to complete the transition so we need to leave."

He nodded and pressed his face into her hair. "Soon then. There's battlefields nearby. We can stop at one on our way north."

"Okay," she whispered, all of her anger officially gone.

They spent the rest of the day and the next few days getting things ready. Planning, planning, and more planning. Damon had to know what he was going to be getting himself into, so Elena gave him a crash course of all things vampire. All the while, he was becoming more and more comfortable with her and soon her name automatically left his mouth, not having a delay where he tried to remember she was not who he thought she was. Finally, Elena felt like Damon was ready to take on the responsibilities of being a vampire.

"It's time," she told him, and she swore his heart beat a hundred times in that second. He grinned and scooted closer to her. She had decided to do it at night so that he could sleep it off. Well, he'd be dead for a few hours, but at least Elena would be sleeping so she wouldn't have to go much time with him gone. He would most likely be in transition when she woke up.

She raised her hand to her mouth, biting deeply into her wrist. "Drink as much as you can." While she doubted it would be a problem, she was worried that he wouldn't drink enough and when she killed him, he wouldn't come back.

He nodded and attached his lips to her wrist, taking long gulps of her blood. He drank more than usual so when her skin healed, she felt confident that he had enough in his system.

"Come here," she whispered, guiding a hand behind his neck before pulling his lips to hers. This was the first kiss they had shared since she told him who she was. He tensed for a millisecond before giving into the kiss, swirling his blood soaked tongue with hers. They ended it with a sigh and he looked deep into her eyes. He had complete trust in her. Her fingers cupped his face, literally holding his life in her hands. "I love you," she whispered, and then snapped his neck.

His body fell limp onto the bed, blood still staining his lips. She tried not to let the sight of his lifeless corpse bother her but it was extremely difficult. She headed outside to get some air, her breaths rugged in her throat. Bellatrix spotted her and nuzzled her neck. They were friends now. It would be okay. Elena gave the horse a watery smile before heading back inside to rest for the night. She placed Damon's body under the covers and crawled in after him. The lack of movement on his end was disturbing her but she tried to ignore it.

Sleeping without his arms curled around her proved impossible. She tried to wrap them around her herself but they didn't possess the power that Damon usually had. In the end, she wrapped her arms around him and held onto his body tightly, as if he would fade away if she let go.

When she woke up in the morning, Damon was not beside her. Panic surged in her heart as she thought about what could have gone wrong. But bodies don't just disappear, do they?

She let out a massive sigh of relief when Damon walked back into the bedroom. "I can't go outside," he said worriedly. "It burns me."

"The sun. You need a daylight ring, remember?" She had explained all of this before.

"Right. And I need a witch to make it specifically for me. Where do we find one?"

"I only know about Emily," she admitted, thinking about the woman who had agreed to help her before. She had almost completely forgotten this dilemma in the midst of planning her future with Damon. Now that he knew, it did not seem as important to get back to her future anymore.

"I guess we could just travel at night until we have a witch," he shrugged with a smile. He looked different, like he had the potential to be powerful but had yet to fulfill it.

"How do you feel?" she finally asked.

"Tired, and my neck hurts like hell," he said with a smirk, causing Elena to blush. "But I'm excited for what the future holds."

She was about to reply when a gunshot rang out from outside and Bellatrix whinnied in pain. Elena listened in closely. How could she not hear that many heart beats?

Damon's eyes bore into hers, just as panicky. "We have to go," she whispered urgently.

"But the sun," he bemoaned, eyes dropping down in sorrow and defeat.

"Shit." The hearts came closer, surrounding the cabin.

"Come outside, heathen," Giuseppe's voice rang out. "It's time for you to stop poisoning my sons."

Not seeing any way out of this, Damon pulled her into an embrace. His head swooped down to pull her into a kiss. "I love you, Elena," he mumbled against her lips. He pulled back and both had tears in their eyes. "Go. Save yourself."

"No," she cried, tears tumbling down her face. It can't end like this. Not after all of their careful planning.

They battled with their eyes intensely, Damon telling her to leave and Elena refusing to go without him. They were so enwrapped in their world, they didn't notice someone entering until it was too late.

Giuseppe was already halfway to them when Damon snapped around with a snarl. He stopped in his tracks, alarmed at seeing his son with the face of a vampire. Quickly, he took out his gun and shot him a few times. Damon, poor transitional Damon, was not strong enough to immediately bounce back and was left writhing on the ground, both from pain and anger.

Elena vampsped to Giuseppe, fully intending on ripping his heart out when he fired a shot into her chest. The wooden bullet scrapped incredibly close to her heart, making her gasp and stumble. Giuseppe pushed her down in her moment of weakness and raised up a stake. She weakly held up her arms but she knew she was done for. The bullet wound was taking her breath away and she felt her strength draining. The last thing she saw before the stake was implanted firmly in her heart was Damon over his father's shoulder, his face in a complete vampiric rage.


	6. The Reunion

The object she was laying on was shaking, causing her to wake up. She gasped and grasped her chest, the phantom feeling of being stabbed still present. Her skin was covered by a cotton tank top, the top of her chest smooth with no evidence of any trauma. Her heart pounded strongly against her ribcage.

"Elena, wake up! It's time for Day Two of Post-Breakup Care!" The blonde was jumping on her bed, trying to rouse her.

"Caroline?" Her heart beat faster as the face of one of her best friends came into view.

"Come on, sleepyhead, I have the entire day planned for us!" Caroline hopped off the bed and tried to drag Elena out from under the covers.

"Okay, okay, okay. What is this for again?" she asked as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. What the hell happened?

"I know it's been two days but it's too soon to pretend that you didn't just break up with You-Know-Who," Caroline said in a sing-song voice. "Bonnie is busy today so I just got a spa day for the two of us at that place down the street, you know the one where they have the hot rock massage? Yeah, so we're going to spend the morning there and they have a lunch buffet! And after that we're going to go shopping at that one mall in Delaware, it's kind of far but screw it, you know? And then we'll come back and go to some parties and find some cute guys to bring home since we're both totally single now! Well, I'm perpetually single but you know-"

"Care, what is going on?" Elena interrupted her. She completely forgot that once Caroline got going, there was no stopping her.

Caroline sighed and dropped her hand. "I know you're pretending that you're not hurting over Matt but you guys were dating like forever-"

"Matt?" The last time she dated him was sophomore year of high school and she was obviously in her college dorm right now. What had happened?

"You've been dating for like four years," Caroline looked at her incredulously. "I know you're upset that he didn't even apply to college, but did you really have to break up with him because he's not starting freshman year with us?"

"Wait, what day is it?" Her heart pounded in her chest.

"It's August 25th, we're going to start our first class at Whitmore on Monday." Caroline felt like she was explaining the alphabet to a four year old.

Elena opened her mouth but didn't say anything for a few seconds. "Right. Um, can we postpone this after breakup thingy for another day? I just remembered I have to go home... for something..."

Caroline pouted fiercely at her. "But you know I'm the best at this stuff!" She even stomped her foot a little.

"We can do it tomorrow, just I really need to do something right now, okay?" She barely gave time for Caroline to reply before she was walking out the door. It wasn't until she was halfway to the bus station that she remembered she was still wearing her pajamas. They were normal looking shorts and a tank top so she wasn't too worried.

The ride to Mystic Falls was longer than she remembered. She got off at the stop furthest from the center of town and walked along a trail that had long since overgrown. Her mind was assaulted with images of horses and carriages frequently riding down this path. A yearning tugged at her heart but she tried to smother it, already overwhelmed with all the feelings stirring in her body.

She came upon the Salvatore Estate and it looked just like it did when she saw it in 2009: desolate and broken down. She remembered running out of the house in a panic, going to the stables... The stables today were even more rundown than the house. She went to a specific stable that had the word Bellatrix engraved on bronze. Sadness washed over her.

Determined, she walked down the path that she remembered taking what seemed like a week ago but must have been about 150 years. The journey had taken about an hour on horseback, so she expected to take most of the day walking down memory lane.

The sun was starting to set in the sky by the time she happened upon a broken down cabin in the middle of overgrown foliage. She tried to go inside but it was in such bad disrepair that she feared for her safety. She definitely knew she wasn't a vampire anymore because the walk had destroyed any stamina she would have had, so she sat against a tree and closed her eyes to rest.

Why had she come here? If she wanted to get back home, she would have to walk back to Mystic Falls, which would be at least a five hour walk, which would take her well into the night. Times like these made vampirism seem like a gift.

A few twigs crunched under the weight of something to her left. She quickly looked up and what she saw made her heart stop.

He looked like almost a mixture of how he did when he was in transition and how he did when she knew him as a vampire. He was run down, which is difficult for a vampire to look since they have supernatural healing. His piercing blue eyes burned a hole through her skull and his mouth was slightly open in shock. He was completely still, not even breathing, which would have clued Elena in on his supernaturalness if she didn't know before.

Her heart pounding in her ears, Elena struggled to stand up. Only his eyes moved as they followed her movement. "Damon?"

It was the magic word. He let out a breath of disbelief and took a step back. His eyes tightened and distanced themselves from the world. He was thinking. "Elena?" he finally choked out.

She involuntarily let out a sound that was half sob, half laugh. "Yes, it's me. I don't know what happened, I remember your dad getting to me and then... I just woke up this morning."

Damon couldn't peel his eyes away from her. "I can tell you what happened. I was too weak, too slow, I didn't get up fast enough... He had you, I saw him push you down and I was too far away. He took out the stake and I just, I couldn't..." Damon closed his eyes and gulped. "I've never hated him so much in my entire life. I guess it powered me to get up because the next thing I know, he was on the floor and his throat was in my mouth. I guess you can say I completed the transition," he chuckled darkly. Elena nodded and waited for him to continue. "You were already gone... There was nothing I could do. I hid in the house and when his lackeys came in, they assumed that you guys killed each other at the same time. I stayed there until nightfall and then I went back to my house. They had already killed Emily." Elena closed her eyes in shame. Emily was completely innocent in this.

"How did you get your daylight ring?" she nodded at the gaudy ring adoring his finger.

"I spent nights traveling around, looking for a witch, any witch. I found a few in New Orleans and they felt sorry for me so they made me this," he fingered the ring. "I searched around for answers as to what happened to you. They said it is incredibly rare, but since you weren't from this time or that body, perhaps your soul went on to live. I've been spending the last 150 years waiting to see if it was true."

"Wow," she breathed out. While she waited maybe seconds to come back into her body for this moment, Damon had waited lifetimes. "Why was I in her body in the first place?"

"Some witches thought this coven or whatever called the Travelers wanted to change an event in history. That's usually why they would swap bodies or something," Damon shrugged, his eyes still strictly on Elena.

She nodded and looked down before looking back up at him again. "Where's Stefan?"

When Damon flinched, it told her everything she needed to know. "I told him that you were gone, you turned me, and that I killed our dad. He distanced himself from me and became a successful doctor. He died just after the turn of the 20th century." Right. Katherine had never turned Stefan because she was Katherine.

She blinked back her tears and looked at him. "Do you still feel the way you felt all that time ago? Do you still want to be together-" she took a breath "-forever?"

Damon was completely still for a second before nodding. "I've never wanted anyone more than I've wanted you," he said, his voice so sultry that Elena shivered. "You're all I've ever needed. You're the reason I got past this century and a half. And now here you are."

"Here I am," she whispered. He still didn't move, and suddenly she understood. Did she still want him?

She walked the dozen feet between them before stopping directly in front of him. He tried to keep his composure but she could tell how her close presence was affecting him. Everything in him wanted to hold her and never let go, never lose her like he did that one fateful day.

She ran her hands down his arm until they joined with his. "You're all I need," she said confidently. "I said that once and I'll say it forever. I love you, Damon."

His eyes started to shimmer and before any tears could drop, he roughly pulled her into a kiss. Time had changed him, hardened him, and where before he would've let her take control, he was the obvious leader in this dance. Their lips slid and pressed against each other so hard, Elena was sure they would be sore tomorrow. Perhaps he was forgetting that she was human, or perhaps he just didn't care, but she liked it either way. He backed her up to a tree as he nibbled on her lip a little harder than most people would. But the pain brought Elena back to life. She fiercely tugged on his hair, causing him to growl and grab her thighs to put them around his waist.

Unfortunately, Elena still had to breathe so she wrenched her head away from his, allowing him to kiss down her neck. She was aware of his intentions and wasn't shocked at all when a sting on her neck told her he was biting her. He drank a few ounces from her before pulling back, allowing her to see his vampiric features. What a change in roles, Elena amusedly thought as she traced the veins under his eyes with her fingers.

He pressed her against the tree, allowing her to feel how hard he was within his pants. She moaned and he took that as a good sign, allowing her to drop so she was standing again. He shoved her shorts down a little so she got the hint as he unbuttoned his jeans. They were soon both free of lower body clothing and Elena was pressed against the tree again. This time, Damon scattered kisses along her skin as his fingers did naughty things to her, leaving her begging for more.

"Damon, please," she panted, tugging on his hair again.

It seemed to cause intense pleasure because he groaned and nodded, attacking her lips again. As soon as their tongues were entangling, he slipped inside of her, making them both moan. His hands tightly gripped her hips, keeping her in place as he slowly pulled out before pushing back in. His face looked like this was the greatest relief he had ever felt.

"Haven't you gotten laid in the past 150 years?" she tried to say clearly but some moans might have slipped between the words.

"Not by someone I love," he breathed out. His pace increased a little and he groaned, laying his forehead on her shoulder.

Elena's hands scratched at his back through his shirt, not scared of hurting him this time since their roles were switched. Moans continued to bubble out of her throat, especially once his thumb began lightly stroking her clit. "Damon," she let out a guttural sigh. "Oh God..."

He hummed into her shoulder and pumped harder. His grip will definitely leave bruises tomorrow. She felt the sting of his fangs in her flesh again but it only added onto the pleasure she was feeling, nearly making her fall over the edge.

"Please, Damon," she nearly cried. The rough bark on her back also hurt but again just made the pleasure that much more intense. "Harder, please."

He was ferociously taking her, fucking her, making love to her. His pent up loneliness and frustrations from the past 150 years were unleashed, rocketing both of them through an intense orgasm.

Elena almost cried from everything she was feeling. It was too much. Damon held her up against the tree, lazily licking at her shoulder wound without moving to pull out of her. She prefered it this way, their bodies united as one for as long as possible. She wondered if he had the same sentiment.

When a breeze rolled by that made Elena shiver, he finally pulled away. His pupils were fully blown, barely showing any of the blue. He reverently stared at her and when he was satisfied with how she was looking back at him, kissed her sweetly on the lips. Another shiver rolled down her spine but not because of the wind. They finally untangled, Damon's pants pulled up from his ankles and Elena's found on the floor of the woods.

"Didn't you bring any warmer clothes?" Damon's hoarse voice broke the silence.

She shrugged and looked down. "No, I kind of forgot what I was wearing because I was trying to get here so quickly."

Damon nodded and looked around. It was completely dark and the full moon was bright against the sky. The temperature had dropped to something that wouldn't really bother Damon but definitely bothered Elena. "I can bring you back to my house," he offered.

"You have a house? In Mystic Falls?"

"It's not really my house but it's the Salvatore Boarding House so I stake some claim."

Elena nodded and he picked her up. She blushed when her nether regions felt incredibly sore, almost painful. He was going to have to turn her soon if they planned on having sex that rough again.

He ran at his full vampire speed and within a minute, they were in front of the large house.

"How is this going to work?" she asked as he put her down so they could walk in together.

"Us? I mean, I assume I'm going to turn you sometime soon so we can really be together forever and then we'll just wing it from there."

She smiled. They were on the same wavelength, of course. Once they were inside, she hugged him tightly. He was surprised by her grip but hugged her as well. "I love you, Damon. I'm so glad we're finally together," she murmured into his shirt.

"I love you too, Elena," he said, the rumbles from his chest going straight to her body. "Here's to forever."


End file.
